Hi all,

Thanks everyone for the BC recommendations! I have read a couple of the brother cadfael stories and like them a lot.

Birch - ouch on the food poisoning of yourself & the boy. Funny that it should be 2 different food items. Maybe the same vendor and the fridge was out of order? I hope you both are feeling better now.

Pat, Mel - hope you are feeling better.

I'm a bit under the water myself. yesterday s power class did not happen, I was not feeling all that great and unfoirtunately fell face down into a box of chocolates one of my guests had left me over the weekend. Today is also not great. I biked to work and that was about it. Probabely I'm living through some halfway flu or something.

Furthermore I am distressed because XH is back in the country. He left on his sailing boat in may and unfortunately he has appeared again. Some misguided friends seemed fit to inform me about it, and I would have preferred to not know. My kids are again badgered with phonecalls now, and calls to be with him etc.I despise XH not only for his past behaviouir, but because he chooses to go away for such prolonged periods. I had rather that he did not return at all. And I also despise him for the emotional blackmail...he wants to see the kids rightaway, and often, and when it suits him rather than them, because he has not seen them in such a long time. Sure, but who forced him to get into an extramarital relation, divorce, quit his job, buy a boat, and go sailing for 6 months at a stretch?

The kids certainly did not. It is emotional blackmail IMO, and I feel very sorry for the kids. DS is always sad when his father chooses to leave for 6 months. Furthermore I really hate it that he is always acting to everyone that he is such a great caring father. Sure, that s why I refused to join him in this boat scheme, he dumped us, he left the kids while I was quite ill, and pursued his boat dream with another woman and her son.

I'm cranky, and I 'm sure everything will look better in the morning. I'm turning in early.

Have a great day all,
Rabbit

I'm not feeling entirely well

Rabbit - I'm glad your kids have you to provide a stabilizing influence in their lives.

Birch - hope you guys feel better. That is odd that you both got sick off of different foods, I would figure it was some additive that was used in the cooking of both.

Cheryl - good job on the squats! And, the successful bail out!

Pat - hope you got some rest last night!

I did workout yesterday, and actually felt a lot better after. Today is a cardio day, and I hope to get some yoga. I'm trying to get in yoga three times per week - I like the way it makes me feel, and I think it helps with flexibility. Only twice last week, but three the week before, one so far this week.

I am totally failing at the overhead squat. I lean too far forward, or too far back, or something. I can't get down far, and when I do my heels are off the ground, so I know I'm leaning wrong... Frustrating... Will try that a little more today.

Good day all.

Rabbit He is such a moron. to the children.

Shannon - great idea about the yoga.

Cheryl - I must have been looking the other way when you got into Crossfit. How did it come about? And what were you doing before?

Pat - I'll join you on the 8 hours sleep exercise! Mmm. Zzzzz.

Mel - how are things?

Feeling a bit better today, thanks. The dodgy food came from the same producer, same (awful) pastry etc. SO went to the parents' evening at school tonight. The teacher said DB shouldn't come back till he was 100% as there are so many bugs around in the class he'd be bound to catch something. So another day of DIY together (we like that) & possibly biking. Maybe gardening. (I'm meant to be building my website but it will have to wait.)

I'm tucked up in bed reading *internationally acclaimed* Power Posture - your blueprint for a powerful body by Lee Parore, senior faculty member at the Colgan Institute. ??? Got it in a library sale & thought it could be interesting. Has anyone heard of it or him? I'm just starting it.

See you all tomorrow.

The 115 was the first time I've had to bail from a front rack position, but I did it without breaking anything. phew!

Cheryl! you've crossed the threshold!

I did squats and front squats today, dead lifts, skated on a slide board and standing ham curls. Oh, and Lydia's Peter Pans. Yoohoo! Lydia, where are you????
No cross fit. How boring, but at least I listened to my own music which is much more 'singer-songwriter" than the cross fit music! and I cranked out 7 unassisted sort of kipping pull ups. ssssshhhhhh! don't tell the cross fit guys!

Pat, I have read Careless in Red and everything else she has written. I've been really put off by the miscasting of the TV adaptations. Also read all of Ian Rankin, Martha Grimes, and almost every other Brit I can think of. Dh is originally from near Blackpool in England and most of his extended family live around the Lake District. Every time he talks about spending a year in England when we retire (hahaha, that will NEVER happen!) my response is noooo...the murder rate is far too high!

Rabbit- I can't imagine the pain he has caused you! My heart goes out to you, because as the child of divorce and bad behavior, I know it will be YEARS before your kids understand. But someday they will. Hang in there!

Shannon- work on keeping "active shoulders" in the OH squat. As you go up, mentally push that bar to the sky and work on locking out your elbows and keeping them behind your ears.

Mel

Mel - my children's librarian just told me about a mystery author she discovered on vacation. Cara Black. A woman detective, set in Paris. There are 9 books so far.... Or have you tried Susan Hill. She is fairly new, 4th book just coming out. A Dagleish sort of main character, but with a family (parents, sister) that keep him from totally wallowing.

So, it's 5:30 and I have a city council meeting that starts at 6, so I guess I'll get on my way......

Good morning!

Take it easy today, rabbit, and good luck!

Hi Birch,

Everyone - thanks for the support!.

I'm certainly taking it easy...biked to work today and that will be it as far as exercise is concerned.

Pat - thnx also for the who-dunnit suggestions. i had not heard of any of the autors that you mentioned, but I'm a great fan of the old school english country house mysteries.

to everyone,
Rabbit

Last night turned into Lawn Mower cardio. Had to get it in before the rain came back today - my yard was looking scary! We have DH tonight, so hope to get in some quick exercise after dinner, then my yoga before bed. Didn't make the yoga last night - watched a movie with DH instead, that included gelato... Oops. Oh well, dust off and get back up on track today.

Mel - thanks for the info on the OH squat. I don't think my elbows are all the way back to behind my ears, have to check that. Might be why I end up leaning my torso forward...

Birch - glad you are feeling a little better!

Rabbit - glad you are feeling a little better, too!

Good day everyone!

Shannon, are you using your PVC first for really loosening up the shoulders? Do the pass throughs, narrowing your grip every few passes, till you hit your sticking point, then widen that grip just a hair. Think about chest up (stick the boobs out), shoulders for earmuffs, pull the hands apart (this really does help), reach back, back back with the butt as you lower, try to keep the weight on the heels (butt back), and fight hard to keep the knees out, tracking over the foot. Fiddle with your stance...normal would be shoulder width, toes pointed out slightly...you might like it more narrow or wider, toes out a little more, so play with it. I always do these with a pvc in my warm-up, after shoulder pass throughs, and it takes my tight hams/etc several attempts to get down into a full OH squat, then I do some other stretching/mobility stuff, do the OH squats again with the pvc, then I can add a little weight or do some other type of squatting exercise for my "real" warm-up.

ETA: stick with the pvc till you can do this nice and deep without falling on the toes, then add weight slowly...a little goes a long way in this lift, so this is where your sand-filled pvc pipe would be a good progression, not straight to the 45# bar, unless you're a guy or a total overhead beasty girl! Try these facing a wall, to help keep you back on the heels and to let you know if the bar is falling forward.

Ooof! I took the day off from work to primer and paint my bathroom, including ceiling, before the free standing tub is hauled up there. Up the ladder, twist turn, down the ladder, twist turn, repeat for 6-7 hours! I did take a break to go to the CF strength session at noon which I can rarely go to.

Today was kettle bell cleans and kettle bell snatches, and Turkish get ups. All done in sets of 5 then 3, getting progressively heavier. I now know where one of my fading mystery bruises came from because it's back and much worse! My form on the KB snatches on my left side is not perfect, and with KBs, that can be a disaster. Or a bruise

Shannon- Together time is important too! Last night was my dh's birthday. It was worth an oops :blush:

Pat- Thanks for the author suggestions. I need to do a library run. Our house can't hold any more books that stay here.

Off to pack food.

Mel

My meeting turned in a five hour slog last night. 6-11 pm with two - count 'em - two 15 minute breaks. I was sooo ready for it to be over, but then of course I had trouble getting to sleep. This morning I slept in and came to work about 9:15. Thank goodness I have tomorrow and Friday off - going to a quilting retreat. No cell phones, no internet.

Mel, going to work in the library was good for my budget and my bookcase! I seldom buy books anymore - except cookbooks and exercise books. I do have a terrible audiobook habit though - both with the free downloads available through the library and at audible.

I'm here! Cheryl was right, I'm neck deep in book, videos and workbooks right now. I'm preparing for my NASM exam.

I filed for an extension but I want this thing behind me. The sooner the better.

The summer chaos of packing up my house, remodeling the kitchen, painting everything nailed down, and then unpacking my house again put a dent into my study time.

I have between 8pm to 10pm to study for this thing. I'm grateful I have the ACSM behind me as a platform. It really is an issue of carving out time for preparation and not feeling guilty about the kids being left to their own devices.

There are several other certs I'd like to get immediately on the heels of this one. The reality is I shouldn't do any more until my DS2 is in school for more than two hours a day. Oh, and I sell, pack my house and relocate. Minor details...

Anyway, as soon as the test is over I'll be more than a lurker.

In addition to all that crazy business, my cat threw herself down the basement stairs. Some pets will do anything for attention! I had to run her into the OSU Small Animal Hospital at 10:00pm last Thursday. She suffered severe head trauma and I had to put her down. That was a fun car ride.

Can I just put in a for the animal hospital. Incredibly empathetic about the situation. I think the vet was taken back with how rational I was during the crisis. My comment was a little like "I'm an old farm girl, it's just a part of life..." Right. It hit me the next morning on my drive over to the gym. I think I cried the whole way. So much for bravado. But, she was 13 years old...

I think it was difficult to lose the cat because it's the end of an era for me and my DH. We had the cat before we were married. Sigh.

Now we are in our forties, our eldest in middle school and our baby in kindergarten. We are entering another phase of our lives. I'm still looking back at the previous phase a little reluctant to leave it behind me. Losing the cat was just another step forward in a direction that I'm not excited to rush off into.

'kay. back to the books. Can't wait till I get to the good parts. Right now it's mostly review for me.

Lydia for the cat and for the rest of your life. I'm not following you on this packing and unpacking of your house. Are you goning to relocate soon?

Hi all,
NOt feeling to great today. i think i'm coming down with something flu-ish, so according to instructions I stayed at home. NO idea if the workout will happen today, and at 10 am I am already off plan eating wise. We'll see how this progresses.

Have a great day all,
rabbit

Lydia - Hey there! Was wondering how you were doing on your exam prep! sorry about your kitty.

Rabbit - ick, sorry you are under the weather. Get some rest and try to feel better!

Cheryl - thanks for the OH press info! I have been using the PVC for the ROM warms ups, and for the actual OH practice, haven't moved past the empty to the sanded one yet. Nowhere near using an actual bar at this point - I would probably drop it on my head! I need to do a better job of warming and loosening up before I throw myself into the actual practice, might be less frustrated that way. I always tend to try to point my toes in on squats for some reason, and the pointed out definitely works better for me.

Mel - wow, I would have considered the bathroom work my workout, on getting CF in there as well!

Got my exercise in last night, though a little abbreviated. cardio tonight when I get home. Yoga before bed. Raining outside again...
______________________________________
Last night's workout:
Warmup - ROM exercises with PVC, 30 seconds of jump rope
5 minutes of practice on OH squat
WH Wednesday workout -
warmup: 2 rounds of the following set of exercises- Y Squat x 10, pushup x 10, stickups x 10, mountain climber 5 per side, forward lunge x 5 per side, 'waiter bow' x 10, spiderman crawl x 5 per side
Supersets - 3 sets of set one, 1 minute rest in between each set, move to set 2, etc.
Set 1 - bulgarian split squat w/ 15 lbs DB per hand x 8 per side & plank w/ T-Reach, pushup x 6 per side (the pushups after each T-Reach were my add-in, not on the actual workout)
Set 2 - half squat/hold/squat/hold/jump x 10 & side plank x 30 secs per side
Set 3 - three way lunge x 5 per side & bridge w/ 5 second hold x 12
_____________________________

Has anyone else ever done a three way lunge? I don't know that I'm doing it right...

Good day everyone!

Lydia- So good to see you I'm so sorry about the cat. It really does seem like a milestone event.

You are going to be the most certified person I know!

Tonight's CF workout:

I started with practicing handstands because I got there early. I CAN DO THEM!!!! It is so cool I can't even describe the feeling.

Max dead lifts
3 -3 - 2 - 2
I ended at 205 pounds- I've done more, but after all the handstands and the tweaky back from yesterday's painting, that's all she wrote, folks

then:
at 70% of max: 9 deadlifts
20 wall balls (15 pound ball)
20 yard sideways crab walk

5 rounds for time.

Who knew that dead lifts would seem like rest???? The crab walk was horrible.

I left totally exhilarated

Food has been good and clothes are fitting nicely

Mel